Paint Brush with Removable Head, Sliding Ferrule and Removable Accessory Tool

ABSTRACT

A paintbrush features a handle having a longitudinal direction with a gripping area and a first attachment element at opposite ends. A removable brush head has longitudinally oriented bristles and a second attachment element selectively matable with the first attachment element to carry the removable brush head on the handle. The first and second attachment elements are slidingly matable in a lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction. A ferrule is slidable longitudinally of the handle into and out of a deployed position closing around the attachment elements to prevent disconnection thereof, and a retracted position enabling removal and replacement of the brush head. The handle comprises a hollow compartment extending longitudinally into the handle from the distal end opposite the brush head. An accessory tool is removably received in the hollow compartment of the handle for storage therein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/233,5338, filed Sep. 28, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to paintbrushes, and moreparticularly to paintbrushes that include removable brush heads to allowreplacement and improved cleaning of the brush, and paintbrushesincluding accessory tools that are often also useful in a paintingproject.

BACKGROUND

It has been previously proposed to provide paintbrushes with a removablebrush head to allow replacement or more thorough cleaning of thebristles, and to divide the bristles into separable bundles to betterremove paint from the overall brush head during cleaning. Examples ofsuch brushes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,246,773, 2,326,879,2,490,159, 2,509,013, 2,732,578, 2,943,341, 3,783,468, 5,218,733,7,059,006, 8,402,592 and D639070.

It has also been known to apply various accessories to a paintbrush,including hooks for storing or temporarily supporting the brush when notin use, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,309,990, 3,231,919, 4,887,327and 5,636,904, a screwdriver bit useful to deal with projecting drywallscrews or other fastener issues during a painting project, as disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,785 and published International PCT applicationWO201366140, and a bottle or can opener as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,741,064, 5,575,030, 6,823,553, D538045 and Published U.S. applications2004/0163193 and 2014/0338500.

However, there remains room for improved and alternative paintbrushdesigns, and Applicant has developed a unique paint brush having anumber of unique aspects not heretofore seen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apaintbrush comprising:

a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lying opposite theretoin a longitudinal direction of said handle, the handle comprising agripping area defined adjacent the proximal end for manual holding ofthe paintbrush at said gripping area, and a first attachment element atthe proximal end;

a removable brush head selectively attachable to and detachable from thehandle at the proximal end thereof, the removable brush head comprisinga second attachment element selectively matable with the firstattachment element to carry the removable brush head on the handle, anda plurality of bristles carried on the second attachment and extendingin a longitudinal direction of said removable brush head;

wherein the first and second attachment elements comprise slidinglymatable elements engagable together by sliding one of the attachmentelements over the other of the attachment elements in a lateraldirection lying transverse to the longitudinal directions of said handleand said removable brush head.

Preferably said one of the attachment elements comprises a channel andsaid other of the attachment elements comprises a rail over which saidchannel is slidable in the lateral direction in a position embracingabout said rail to prevent withdrawal therefrom in the longitudinaldirection.

Preferably a ferrule is arranged to enclose around the first and secondattachment elements after engagement of said first and second attachmentelements together.

Preferably the ferrule is slidably coupled to the handle for slidingmovement relative thereto in the longitudinal direction of the handlebetween a deployed position enclosing around the first attachmentelement and a retracted position withdrawn out of the deployed positiontoward the distal end of the handle to reveal access to the firstattachment element for engagement or disengagement thereof with thesecond attachment element.

Preferably the bristles of the removable brush head are divided intomultiple bundles, at least one of said multiple bundles being carried bya respective pivotal bristle support that enables separation of themultiple bundles of bristles from one another during cleaning bypivoting said pivotal bristle support about a pivot axis thereof.

Preferably said pivot axis lies transversely to the longitudinaldirection of the brush head.

Preferably the handle comprises a hollow compartment extendinglongitudinally into the handle from the distal end thereof, and thepaintbrush further comprises a removable tool received or receivable inthe hollow compartment for removable storage therein.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided apaintbrush comprising:

a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lying opposite theretoin a longitudinal direction of said handle, the handle comprising agripping area defined adjacent the proximal end for manual holding ofthe paintbrush at said gripping area, and a first attachment element atthe proximal end;

a removable brush head selectively attachable to and detachable from thehandle at the proximal end thereof, the removable brush head comprisinga second attachment element selectively matable with the firstattachment element to carry the removable brush head on the handle, anda plurality of bristles carried on the second attachment and extendingin a longitudinal direction of said removable brush head;

a ferrule arranged to enclose around the first and second attachmentelements when engaged together;

wherein the ferrule is slidably coupled to the handle for slidingmovement relative thereto in the longitudinal direction of the handlebetween a deployed position enclosing around the first attachmentelement and a retracted position withdrawn out of the deployed positiontoward the distal end of the handle to reveal access to the firstattachment element for engagement or disengagement thereof with thesecond attachment element.

Preferably one of the brush handle and the ferrule comprises at leastone longitudinal slot therein and the other of the brush handle and theferrule comprises at least one guide matable with the at least onelongitudinal slot to guide longitudinal sliding of the ferrule on thebrush handle.

Preferably the ferrule is removably coupled to the brush handle.

Preferably the first and second attachment elements are arranged toblock removal of the ferrule from the brush handle when said first andsecond attachment elements are mated together.

Preferably the at least one longitudinal slot is defined on the brushhandle and the at least one guide is defined on the removable brushhead, and the at least one longitudinal slot extends through the firstattachment in the longitudinal direction of the brush handle to allowremoval of the ferrule by sliding of the ferrule past the firstattachment element via said at least one longitudinal slot.

Preferably the at least one slot spans a fully through the brush handlein a thickness direction thereof, and the at least one guide comprisesat least one internal wall of the ferrule that spans from one side ofthe handle to another in the thickness direction.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided apaintbrush comprising:

a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lying opposite theretoin a longitudinal direction of said handle; and

a brush head attached or attachable to the proximal end of the handle;

wherein the handle comprises a hollow compartment extendinglongitudinally into the handle from the distal end thereof, and thepaintbrush further comprises a removable tool received or receivable inthe hollow compartment for removable storage therein.

Preferably the removable tool comprises a screwdriver tool having alongitudinal body with a bit-receiving socket at one end for receivingany one of a plurality of different screwdriver bits.

Preferably the screwdriver tool comprises a storage compartment forstoring at least one of said screwdriver bits therein when not receivedin the bit-receiving socket.

Preferably the removable tool comprises a hanging member at an outer endof the removable tool that resides outside the hollow compartment at thedistal end of the handle for hanging support of the paintbrush by saidhanging feature when said removable tool is received in the hollowcompartment of the handle. Preferably the hanging member comprises anopenable and closable clip.

Preferably a paint can pry lever projects laterally from the handle foruse in prying a lid from a paint can.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a paintbrush of the present invention thatfeatures a removable brush head with pivotally separable bristles, aremovable sliding ferrule that conceals and maintains the attachmentbetween the handle and the brush head, and a removable utility toolstored within a hollow interior compartment of the handle.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the paintbrush with the sliding ferrulein a retracted position and the brush head removed.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the ferrule in isolation.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ferrule in isolation.

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the paintbrush with the sliding ferrulein the retracted position, and with the brush head removed and opened upto separate the pivotally-carried bristles.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the removable utility tool in isolation.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, the paintbrush 10 of the illustratedembodiment features a handle 12 having a proximal end 12 a and a distalend 12 b lying opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of thehandle, which is denoted by central longitudinal axis 14 and correspondsto the length dimension of the brush. A gripping portion 16 of thehandle reaches along the longitudinal axis 14 from the distal end 12 bof the handle to define an area for manual gripping of the paintbrush bythe user, and from this gripping portion 16, the handle then transitionsto a wider mounting portion 18 that extends to the proximal end 12 b ofthe handle, at which a removable brush head 20 is detachably mounted.

An axial bore extends into the gripping portion 16 of the handle fromthe distal end 12 b to define a hollow internal compartment 22 forstoring a removable utility tool 24 therein. At the wider mountingportion 18 of the handle 12, near the end thereof that transitions tothe narrower gripping portion 16, one end of a paint can pry lever 26 isembedded within the handle 12, and the other end of the paint can prylever 26 projects outwardly from a side edge of the mounting portion 18in a lateral direction that lies perpendicular to the longitudinal axis14 and corresponds to a width direction of the brush.

As best shown in FIG. 5, a T-shaped rail 28 is affixed to the proximalend 12 a of the handle 12 and runs therealong in the lateral directionso as to lie perpendicularly of the longitudinal axis 14. The T-shape ofthe rail refers to its cross-sectional shape in planes lying normal tothe rail's length, i.e. planes that are parallel to the longitudinalaxis 14 and normal to the lateral direction. The lateral direction isdenoted in the drawings by axis 29 of FIG. 2. A stem 28 a of the T-shapeprojects axially from the proximal end 12 a of the handle 12 in thelongitudinal direction, and the cross-head 28 b of the T-shapeperpendicularly crosses the stem at an outer end thereof lying at adistance from the proximal end 12 a of the handle.

Referring to FIG. 2, two longitudinal slots 30 extend through the rail28 and into the proximal end 12 a of the handle in the longitudinaldirection parallel to the central axis 14 on opposite sides thereof. Thetwo slots 30 thus divide the rail 28 into three different sections. Eachslot 30 extends toward, but stops short of, the end of the mountingportion 18 that transitions to the gripping portion 16 of the handle.Each slot 30 extends fully through the mounting portion 18 of the handlein the thickness direction thereof, thus spanning fully from a topsideof the brush to an opposing underside thereof.

Having described the structure of the handle 12, attention is now turnedto the structure of the removable brush head 20, with particularreference to the disassembled view of the brush in FIG. 5. A base of thebrush head is defined by a length of C-shaped channel 32, which lies inthe transverse direction parallel to the T-shaped rail 28 when the brushis assembled. The C-shaped channel 32 is dimensioned to be slidable overthe T-shaped rail 28 in the lateral direction from a respective side ofthe brush, as denoted by arrow 34 in FIG. 2, whereby the C-shapedchannel 32 embraces the cross-head 28 b of the rail 28 in order tocouple the brush head to the handle. This mated condition between theT-shaped rail 28 and the C-shaped channel 32 prevents separation of thebrush head from the handle in the longitudinal direction of the brush.Lateral separation of the installed brush head from the handle isprevented by other means, described herein further below.

Attached by respective hinges to the closed front end of the basechannel 32 are two bristle supports 36, which are shown in FIG. 5 butare omitted from the other figures for illustrative simplicity. Eachbristle support 36 defines a respective forwardly-opening channel thatspans the full length of the rearwardly-opening base channel 32 in thelateral direction. The two bristle supports 36 reside one over theother, and each bristle support carries a respective bundle of bristles38 that project forwardly out of the open side of the channel-shapedbristle support 36. The terms “front” and “forwardly” are being used todenote a direction moving longitudinally from the proximal end 12 a ofthe brush handle in the direction opposite the distal end 12 b of thebrush handle. The hinged attachment of each bristle support 36 to thebase channel 32 allows pivoting of each bristle support 36 about arespective pivot axis lying in the lateral direction of the brush. Asshown in FIG. 5, such pivotal movement of the two bundles 38 of bristlesallows the bundles to be pivoted away from one another, thus separatingthe bristles of one bundle away from the other for improved cleaning ofthe inner bristles of the brush at the inner facing-together sides 38 aof the bundles 38. In the assembled state of the brush, the two bundles38 are maintained in close or abutting proximity in parallel planes thatare parallel to the longitudinal and lateral axes 14, 29.

In addition to the handle and the removable brush head, the brush 10features a movable ferrule 40 that, in the assembled state of the brush10, is slidably coupled to the mounting portion 18 of the handle 12.More specifically, the ferrule 40 is slidable in the longitudinaldirection of the handle 12 between a deployed position shown in FIG. 1,and a retracted position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. In the deployedposition, the ferrule 40 closes around the mounting portion 18 of thehandle at a location enclosing the rail 28 thereof within the confinesof the ferrule 40. In the retracted position, the ferrule is withdrawnrearwardly from the proximal end 12 a of the handle 12 toward distal end12 b thereof in order to expose the rail 28 outside the confines of theferrule. The withdrawn position of FIGS. 2 and 5 thus reveal access tothe T-shaped rail 28 of the handle 12 for sliding of the C-shaped basechannel 32 of the brush head onto or off of the rail 28 in order toinstall or remove the brush head 20 from the handle 12.

Once the brush head is installed, the ferrule 40 is slid forwardly intothe deployed position, where the ferrule 40 now closes around both theT-shaped rail 28 and the C-shaped base channel 38 that is mated thereto.In this condition, the side walls 40 a of the ferrule 40 block lateralsliding of the brush head's base channel 32 off of the handle'scooperating rail 28, thereby maintaining the installed position of thebrush head on the proximal end 12 a of the handle 12. In addition, inthe deployed position, the ferrule 40 reaches past the mated rail 28 andbase channel 32 in order to also close around the two bristle supports36 of the brush head, and thereby maintain them in abutting relation toone another in order to hold the two bristle bundles 38 together in amanner collectively forming a singular overall bristle collection of theassembled brush. The deployed position of the sliding ferrule thusmaintains the installed position and parallel-bristle condition of theassembled brush, making it suitable for use. After use of the brush, thebrush head can be removed by sliding of the ferrule 40 into theretracted position, and sliding of the base channel 32 of the brush head20 off of the handle's T-shaped rail 28. The brush head can then becleaned, during which pivotal separation of the two bristle bundles 38ensures a thorough cleaning of all bristles. Alternatively, the oldbrush head can be replaced with a new one.

The sliding of the ferrule 40 in the longitudinal direction on the brushhandle is guided by the cooperation of two internal guide walls 42 onthe ferrule 40 with the two slots 30 in the brush handle 12. Withreference to FIG. 3, each guide wall 42 extends from a top wall 40 b ofthe ferrule to an opposing bottom wall 40 b thereof at a positionbetween the ferrule's two side walls 40 a. Each guide wall 42 inside theferrule 40 spans only a partial length thereof. In the retractedposition of the ferrule 40, a rear end 42 a of each guide wall 42 abutsa closed end 30 a of the respective slot 30 in the brush handle 12,thereby blocking the ferrule from sliding rearwardly off of the mountingportion 18 of the handle 12. With the brush head 20 installed and theferrule deployed, a front end 42 b of each guide wall 40 abuts againstthe C-shaped base channel 32 of the brush head at its mated positionembraced about the T-shaped rail 28 of the handle 12. Accordingly, theferrule 40 is prevented from sliding forwardly off the handle 12 whenboth the ferrule and brush head are installed.

A frictional fit between the slots 30 of the handle 12 and the guidewalls 42 of the ferrule acts to retain the ferrule in the deployedposition until a sufficient pulling force is applied to draw the ferrulerearwardly into the withdrawn position.

Accordingly, the ferrule 40 will remain in the deployed position duringtypical use of the paint brush, thereby ensuring that the removablebrush head remains in place. Although not shown, the frictional fit mayemploy a restriction point in each slot 30, for example as provided by asmall protuberance jutting into the slot 30 behind the rear end 42 a ofthe respective guide wall 42 from an otherwise flat sidewall of the slot30 in order to resist rearward movement of the ferrule from the deployedposition.

The lateral retention of the brush head by the ferrule and thelongitudinal retention of the brush head by the mating rail and basechannel thus cooperate the normally maintain the brush head in theproper working position for use of the brush. In the illustratedembodiment, the handle's rail and the brush head's base channel definecooperating attachment elements for sliding lateral mating of the handleand brush head together. It will be appreciated that in anotherembodiment, the rail and channel may switch positions. That is, a railmay be provided on the brush head for cooperative mating with arespective channel on the handle, which would again cooperate tolongitudinally retain the brush head and handle together, and to blocksliding of the movable ferrule forwardly past the deployed position.

In the illustrated embodiment, the paint can pry lever 26 is situated ina position concealed by the retracted position of the ferrule 40. Toprevent interference with the sliding of the ferrule by the pry lever26, the mounting portion 18 of the handle 12 has an asymmetric shape atthe end thereof that transitions to the gripping portion 16.Specifically, one side edge of the mounting portion 18 at this endthereof features a cutaway area 49 at which the pry lever 26 projectslaterally from the handle 12 such that the pry lever does not projectbeyond the plane of the remainder of this side edge along which therespective side wall of the ferrule slides during movement between theretracted and deployed positions. At this cutaway area 49, the mountingportion 18 of the handle is narrower on this side of the centrallongitudinal axis 14 than on the other side thereof.

While the slots 30 of the illustrated embodiment pass fully through thethickness dimension of the handle 12, and the guides of the ferrule areaccordingly full-height guide walls 42 spanning fully between the topand bottom walls of the ferrule so as to extending fully through thebrush handle from the topside thereof to the opposing underside thereofvia the through-slots, other embodiments may alternately featurerecessed slots in the top and bottom of the brush handle that don'tfully pass through the handle, and corresponding tabs, tongues or otherguides protruding from the top and bottom walls of the ferrule forsliding receipt in the recessed slots of the handle.

The slots of the illustrated embodiment pass through the proximal end 12a of the brush handle and the attached rail 28 so that the ferrule canbe fully removed from the handle 12 once the brush head has beenremoved. To remove the ferrule, it is displaced forwardly off theproximal end of the handle from the retracted position that enabled theremoval of the brush head. Full removal of the ferrule allows enhancedcleaning of the overall brush. Other embodiments may lack the ability toremove the ferrule in this manner, and accordingly may use slots thatterminate short of the proximal end of the handle and thus are closed attheir forward ends. In some embodiments, instead of having slots on thehandle and guides on the ferrule, the top and bottom walls of theferrule, or the side walls thereof, may have slots therein thatcooperate with respective guides on the handle 12 to guide thelongitudinal sliding motion of the ferrule.

Turning to FIG. 6, the utility tool 24 of the illustrated embodiment isa screwdriver tool having a longitudinal body 44 featuring a hollowsocket 46 opening axially thereinto along the longitudinal axis 14 fromone end of the body 44. This hollow socket 46 removably receives of ascrewdriver bit 48 therein. A longitudinal bore also extends into theopposing end of the longitudinal body to define an internal chamber 50for storing additional screwdriver bits 52 therein. Each screwdriver bitmay be a double ended bit, as shown in the drawings. A clip 54 isremovably attached to the longitudinal body at the end thereof havingthe internal storage chamber 50, thereby forming a lid by which thechamber is closable to safely secure the screwdriver bits 52 therein.The clip may be attached to the tool body, for example, by a releasablesnap fit or by mating threads on the clip and tool body. With referenceto FIG. 1, the clip 54 is attached to the end of the tool body 44 thatresides at the distal end 12 b of the brush handle 12 when the tool body44 is inserted into the internal compartment 22 of the brush handle 12,whereby the clip resides outside the brush handle 12 at the distal endthereof for use in hanging the brush during periods of non-use. The clip54 has a spring-loaded gate 54 a that is spring-biased into theillustrated closed position, but that can be forced open to enablereceipt of a hook, hanger, string, cable or other member into the mouththe clip for hanging support of the brush.

The screwdriver tool may feature a nub or protrusion on the externalcircumference of the tool body near the clip-equipped end thereof tocooperate with a corresponding nub or protrusion on the internal surfaceof the hollowed-out handle near the distal end thereof in order toprovide a snap or friction that secures the tool within the compartmentof the brush handle during normal use of the paint brush. Only upon theapplication of a sufficient pulling force on the clip-equipped end ofthe tool will the interference between these cooperating protrusions beovercome in order to allow withdrawal of the tool 24 from the paintbrushhandle 12.

The tool 24 is thus removable from the paint brush while leaving thehandle 12 thereof fully intact, which presents an improvement over priorart designs in which the gripping portion of a handle defines the bodyof a detachable tool, thereby rendering the paint brush unusable duringuse of the screwdriver. With the presently disclosed paint brush, theuser of the paint brush can remove the screwdriver tool and lend it toanother painter or worker while continuing to the use the brush. Inaddition, painters often leave their brushes in a paint can duringtemporary periods of non-use. In prior art solutions using a detachableportion of the paint brush handle as the screwdriver body, the lack ofan intact handle on the brush head after detachment of the screwdrivermakes it unsuitable to leave the brush head in a can of paint, as nohandle grip is present for lifting of the brush head from its submergedposition in the paint.

While the illustrated embodiment features a screwdriver tool, otherembodiments may store tools of other types within the hollowed outportion of the paint brush handle.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the scope of the claims without departure from such scope, it isintended that all matter contained in the accompanying specificationshall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

1. A paintbrush comprising: a handle having a proximal end and a distalend lying opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of said handle,the handle comprising a gripping area defined adjacent the proximal endfor manual holding of the paintbrush at said gripping area, and a firstattachment element at the proximal end; a removable brush headselectively attachable to and detachable from the handle at the proximalend thereof, the removable brush head comprising a second attachmentelement selectively matable with the first attachment element to carrythe removable brush head on the handle, and a plurality of bristlescarried on the second attachment and extending in a longitudinaldirection of said removable brush head; wherein the first and secondattachment elements comprise slidingly matable elements engagabletogether by sliding one of the attachment elements over the other of theattachment elements in a lateral direction lying transverse to thelongitudinal directions of said handle and said removable brush head. 2.The paintbrush of claim 1 wherein said one of the attachment elementscomprises a channel and said other of the attachment elements comprisesa rail over which said channel is slidable in the lateral direction in aposition embracing about said rail to prevent withdrawal therefrom inthe longitudinal direction.
 3. The paintbrush of claim 1 furthercomprising a ferrule arranged to enclose around the first and secondattachment elements after engagement of said first and second attachmentelements together.
 4. The paintbrush of claim 3 wherein the ferrule isslidably coupled to the handle for sliding movement relative thereto inthe longitudinal direction of the handle between a deployed positionenclosing around the first attachment element and a retracted positionwithdrawn out of the deployed position toward the distal end of thehandle to reveal access to the first attachment element for engagementor disengagement thereof with the second attachment element.
 5. Thepaintbrush of claim 1 wherein the bristles of the removable brush headare divided into multiple bundles, at least one of said multiple bundlesbeing carried by a respective pivotal bristle support that enablesseparation of the multiple bundles of bristles from one another duringcleaning by pivoting said pivotal bristle support about a pivot axisthereof.
 6. The paintbrush of claim 5 wherein said pivot axis liestransversely to the longitudinal direction of the brush head.
 7. Thepaintbrush of claim 1 wherein the handle comprises a hollow compartmentextending longitudinally into the handle from the distal end thereof,and the paintbrush further comprises a removable tool received orreceivable in the hollow compartment for removable storage therein.
 8. Apaintbrush comprising: a handle having a proximal end and a distal endlying opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of said handle, thehandle comprising a gripping area defined adjacent the proximal end formanual holding of the paintbrush at said gripping area, and a firstattachment element at the proximal end; a removable brush headselectively attachable to and detachable from the handle at the proximalend thereof, the removable brush head comprising a second attachmentelement selectively matable with the first attachment element to carrythe removable brush head on the handle, and a plurality of bristlescarried on the second attachment and extending in a longitudinaldirection of said removable brush head; a ferrule arranged to enclosearound the first and second attachment elements when engaged together;wherein the ferrule is slidably coupled to the handle for slidingmovement relative thereto in the longitudinal direction of the handlebetween a deployed position enclosing around the first attachmentelement and a retracted position withdrawn out of the deployed positiontoward the distal end of the handle to reveal access to the firstattachment element for engagement or disengagement thereof with thesecond attachment element.
 9. The paintbrush of claim 8 wherein one ofthe brush handle and the ferrule comprises at least one longitudinalslot therein and the other of the brush handle and the ferrule comprisesat least one guide matable with the at least one longitudinal slot toguide longitudinal sliding of the ferrule on the brush handle.
 10. Thepaintbrush of any one of claim 8 wherein the ferrule is removablycoupled to the brush handle.
 11. The paintbrush of claim 10 wherein thefirst and second attachment elements are arranged to block removal ofthe ferrule from the brush handle when said first and second attachmentelements are mated together.
 12. The paintbrush of claim 9 wherein theat least one longitudinal slot is defined on the brush handle and the atleast one guide is defined on the removable brush head, and the at leastone longitudinal slot extends through the first attachment in thelongitudinal direction of the brush handle to allow removal of theferrule by sliding of the ferrule past the first attachment element viasaid at least one longitudinal slot.
 13. The paintbrush of claim 12wherein the at least one slot spans a fully through the brush handle ina thickness direction thereof, and the at least one guide comprises atleast one internal wall of the ferrule that spans from one side of thehandle to another in the thickness direction.
 14. A paintbrushcomprising: a handle having a proximal end and a distal end lyingopposite thereto in a longitudinal direction of said handle; and a brushhead attached or attachable to the proximal end of the handle; whereinthe handle comprises a hollow compartment extending longitudinally intothe handle from the distal end thereof, and the paintbrush furthercomprises a removable tool received or receivable in the hollowcompartment for removable storage therein.
 15. The paintbrush of claim14 wherein the removable tool comprises a screwdriver tool having alongitudinal body with a bit-receiving socket at one end for receivingany one of a plurality of different screwdriver bits.
 16. The paintbrushof claim 15 wherein the screwdriver tool comprises a storage compartmentfor storing at least one of said screwdriver bits therein when notreceived in the bit-receiving socket.
 17. The paintbrush of claim 14wherein the removable tool comprises a hanging member at an outer end ofthe removable tool that resides outside the hollow compartment at thedistal end of the handle for hanging support of the paintbrush by saidhanging feature when said removable tool is received in the hollowcompartment of the handle.
 18. The paintbrush of claim 17 wherein thehanging member comprises an openable and closable clip.
 19. Thepaintbrush of claim 1 comprising a paint can pry lever projectinglaterally from the handle for use in prying a lid from a paint can.